A £100,000 safety scheme is proposed at a busy city centre road junction.

The measure, at the junction of Lower Watergate Street and St Martin's Way and Nicholas Street in Chester, would ban motorists driving from the direction of the racecourse from making a left turn on to the dual carriageway.

Charles Lloyd, engineering locality manager for West Cheshire, says the scheme is necessary to reduce the number of accidents.

He points out the Watergate Street approach to the junction is already left-turn only.

Travelling from the racecourse direction, there is a short left turn at the approach to the junction.

Mr Lloyd says traffic on the dual carriageway travelling toward the old police headquarters tends to use the inside lane as drivers believe they may be held up by traffic turning right into Lower Watergate Street. This leads to a queue which can tail back to the Princess Street junction.

In the three years from October 2002 there were 16 injury accidents at the junction, according to a report. Seven involved drivers turning right into Lower Watergate Street from St Martin's Way and five involved pedestrians.

Mr Lloyd says turning move-ments at the junction have been analysed and schemes investigated to produce a safer layout which would also maintain crossing facilities for pedestrians.

The measure would provide a new right turning lane for 14 vehicles on the dual carriageway and changes to enable people to cross in one movement.

Road safety engineers believe this will lead to a reduction in queuing, although it requires the banning of the left turn from Lower Watergate Street into St Martin's Way.

Chester's highways and transportation local joint committee was due to hear at the town hall last night (Thursday) that during the rush hour 150 vehicles make the left turn. Most of this traffic is thought to originate in Sealand Road or North Wales.

Recommending an order be made, Mr Lloyd says it is predicted the scheme will prevent eight collisions at the junction over a three-year period and improve facilities for pedestrians.